CALDWELL, N.J.--If there is a game that defines how far this Caldwell men's soccer program has come in a short time under the leadership of second-year Head Coach Evan Marques, it is today's 3-2 triumph over Wilmington, a team which had gone 6-0-1 in its last seven contests and which defeated the Cougars, 6-0, last year and 11-0 in 2021.

Enter soph midfielder Ingebrigt Braenden (Trondheim, Norway), who had two goals, and senior forward Israel Dos Santos Neto (Salvador Bahia, Brazil), who had the other for Caldwell (9-3-1, 5-3-1 CACC) in the CACC win at Kiwanis Oval on a rainy Friday afternoon.

Despite the inclement weather, both teams played at a high level, with the Wildcats (6-5-3, 4-3-1) nearly striking first with two strong scoring chances in the opening minutes turned aside by sophomore GK Kevin Sabadin (Mantena, Brazil), who finished with eight saves on the afternoon.

Braenden opened the scoring, finishing into an open net on a feed by freshman defender Paul Bruggner (Pforzheim, Germany) after a cross by graduate forward Andre Vieira (Union, N.J.) in the 15th minute.

Dos Santos Neto doubled the Cougars lead on one of the finest goals of the season, beating the defender and keeper after a pass from CACC assist leader senior midfielder Murilo DeOliveira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) in the 37th minute for a 2-0 halftime lead.

Wilmington's Malthe Hannesbo scored the first of his two goals in the 47th minute on a long shot from just outside the box that rolled past Sabadin, and another similar marker in the 68th, sandwiched around another tally by Braenden in the 65th that had briefly reestablished the two-goal lead.

The Cougars defended well down the stretch, with WU getting of a couple of shots but no particularly strong scoring chances the rest of the way.

The win gives the Cougars 16 points at 5-3-1, good at the moment for a tie for third place on the CACC table; the top four sides host home games in the eight-team CACC Tournament, which begins play on Nov. 6.

Caldwell completes the regular season against Bridgeport (5-2-1, 16 points) on Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Caldwell Athletic Field, and at Goldey Beacom (3-4-1 and in playoff position at #6 currently) on Saturday in Delaware.